Prayer Summary for Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Morning Prayer was spent sharing testimonies:

Ms. Annie shared…

I was apologizing to Pastor Ray because I was concerned that I had missed God yesterday. He asked me to sing in tongues and then while I was singing in tongues I started getting the interpretation. It just kept building inside of me. I thought I am just going to let it out before they move on. Afterwards I thought woops, I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe if I would have just waited. So, anyway Pastor Ray is very gracious and said that was okay. I was thanking the Lord that He looks on the heart. You know even if we miss it, He looks on our hearts.

So, then I was explaining to him about how I was listening to a really good message by Keith Moore. Actually there was like 9 or 10 different messages he taught on “My Sheep Hear My Voice.” I am always wanting to learn more about hearing God’s voice because that was one of my biggest frustrations as a baby Christian. How am I going to know how to hear God’s voice? I was explaining how the 9th or 8th message was about the heart. Having an open heart is one of the most important things. If your heart is not open or soft or you harden your heart, then you are not going to hear what He is saying. He is talking all the time. He is speaking all the time. So, a lot of what his message was on how the problem is never the Holy Ghost. Because I used to be like “Talk to me!” Well He is talking. He is always talking and if you don’t think you are hearing something, just open the Bible up to any page and start reading aloud and then He is talking (ha, ha, ha). So that is really good (duh! ha, ha, ha).

Each of the messages were reminding us that He is always talking and this is one way you can make sure you are going to hear Him and this is another way and so on. But this message on the heart, He gave a physical demonstration, an example and that was what Pastor Ray wanted me to share with you.

In order to do it, I have to put the microphone down. He said if you are going like this (she crossed her arms in front of her chest) when God is telling you something to do and it’s not something you want to hear and it’s not something you want to do, then you are hardening your heart by folding your arms in front of your heart then your ears go like this (she folds her ears over to cover the openings). Oh, that just stuck with me. I keep seeing that. He said that the most important thing if you want to hear from the Holy Spirit is just to have your heart be soft. You are willing to hear what He is saying even if it is upsetting or uncomfortable or not what you want to hear. There is always times when don’t want to hear what He has to say.

And He is so gentle. This has been like a progression in my relationship with the Lord where last summer I had been praying for direction, for God to show me a step to take. You know, just show me one little step out of my routine, out of my normal, a step into change. And I had my own desires of what I wanted that to look like. I wasn’t aware of it consciously but you know when God speaks to you, then you start to realize how your desires might be way off from what He’s thinking.

You know, this is just a small thing and it seems so silly really. I got a phone call on a Saturday from Pastor Folu. He said he was starting this new Spirit of Seeing and Knowing prayer group and would I come and provide some music just for the launch, the first week? I didn’t realize he meant for just the first week; I misunderstood because of his accent (ha, ha, ha). I apologize. So, I was just like “Oh, no, no, no, no, that’s not something I do. I don’t do Sunday afternoons because of my grandchildren.” That’s the only time I see my grandchildren or see my son and his family. They come over after church on Sundays. I got off the phone and thought that isn’t God. And immediately that little voice said “I want you to do that.” And I was like “No! I know that isn’t You. No!” Instantly I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit. He said “Okay. No problem. No condo-bondo.” That’s an eighties thing, no condemnation bondage (ha, ha, ha). I am showing my age. So, I’d say every two hours for the next several hours that little voice would come up. I would say “Um, yes Lord?” He would say “I think maybe you should go to that prayer group tomorrow.” I would say “Oh, no, no. That can’t be you. You know that’s not what I have been praying about.” You know, kind of like that. Then instantly I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit; “Okay, okay that’s fine. No problem. I am the leader. I’m not the pusher.”

I’m going about my business. And He always talks to me when I am washing dishes. So every time I go to the sink which is often, cooking, cleaning vegetables, washing dishes, every time I go to the sink there it is again “I think you should go to that group tomorrow.” I would respond “Oh, no, no. You know that I don’t want to do that and that is not what I need right now. I am praying for change. I want change in my life. I don’t want to go to another prayer group. I want change not more of the same.” See how silly I am? And right away the Holy Ghost goes “Okay. Okay no problem.” Every single time I said no, He was so gracious and He spoke to me in spite of my… He spoke to me and said “Okay, okay.” It was sort of humorous.

Well finally, that night I couldn’t sleep all night. I always sleep like a rock. Once I am out, I am out. I just kept waking up every hour on the hour. What? What, Lord? I would hear him say “I think you should go to that group tomorrow.” I would respond again, “Oh, that can’t be You. I bind the Devil.” And then the next morning when I got up, I was at the sink washing dishes or doing something like that and He said it again. And this probably would have been the last time but I never saw this side of the Lord’s personality before. But I do believe it was Him. So He brought it up again and I was like that can’t be the Lord. And you’re not going to believe this probably. It probably violates my own theology. I heard the Holy Spirit go “Duh!” I threw my dishcloth down and said “That is not You, Lord! You would never be sarcastic!” And then instead of saying “Okay, okay, okay,” there was silence.

Well you know I said all that to illustrate this whole thing. When you go like this (she crossed her arms over her chest), then eventually the Holy Spirit will just stop talking and your ears go like that (she folds her ears over to cover the openings). After that, that was like His last thing to say to me. At that point I knew when He didn’t come back with “Okay, okay, okay,” that’s when I knew it was God. And oh, my heart was so smitten like “I know that’s You, Lord. I know that’s You. Okay, okay I’ll go to that.”

So, then when I called Pastor Folu and I told him all that, he laughed really hard. He said this is the Spirit of Seeing and Knowing prayer group so that in itself is a testimony (ha, ha, ha). When you harden your heart you eventually… Like Brother Keith was preaching, if you keep on resisting the Holy Ghost, eventually He will stop talking to you because He is gracious.

Through that whole process I saw this side of the Lord where He was just a little bit playful. It was like He was playful. You know every time I said no, it would be like “Okay. Okay.” That was the way it felt. Well Jesus has a personality. But it was like a personality I had never seen. And then that last time when He said “Duh!” I don’t want to make it sound like the voice was snarky or sarcastic but it was just playful like when are you going to realize? How long do I have to keep saying this?

Well I had been working on some projects around the house just because I was waiting for this next step. So, I continued working on these projects. One of them was painting. I was up on this ladder painting. This was like two weeks later. And I have been in a long healing battle and I was really standing for a manifestation. Well I started having manifestations once I obeyed God and did that. I started having physical manifestations that I had been believing for. And so I was up scraping and I had my brush and I kind of griped. I said, “Lord, You know what I have really been believing for, change. How many women my age are up on a ladder doing this?” And I heard that little playful voice again and He said “Healthy ones.” Ha, ha, ha! Hallelujah! Oh the joy! When He said that, the joy that bubbled up out of me, I just burst out laughing. You know. I just burst out laughing. It was like five years ago I couldn’t walk to the mailbox and now I am stepping into the promise of God. But you know it’s so important when He talks to us to do what He says and not have our hearts like that.

But I was really concerned yesterday that I had missed God. I shouldn’t have given that interpretation of tongues. Well, that’s my funny story, just that we need to keep our hearts malleable. I know from before I walked with the Lord, we can all remember days or instances where we knew He was wooing us and we just went “No.” I know God never gave up on me. Thank the Lord. But He is always working with us. He is always wooing us and gently leading us and loving us and drawing us and putting up with me. I still don’t understand why He didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted it answered but His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

So, I have been going to the prayer group every single Sunday. My husband says, “Are you really going to that prayer group, on Sunday afternoon?” I say “Ya.” He says, “Are you sure that’s God?” Until He tells me it’s not, then… He hasn’t said anything since then (ha, ha, ha). So, until He says something I will continue to go. You know that’s how it is. And the blessings I have received. If you just obey God. It’s not your thoughts. It’s His thoughts. Like Sunday I missed. The very first time I have missed. I had a six-day marathon with grandbabies and after I went to the airport to pick up my son and his wife and brought them to their house and then I came back to my house I couldn’t physically move. I was just like a zombie. So, I texted Pastor Folu and let him know I couldn’t be there. But I needed God so much and I missed coming to the group so I went on the sound cloud and listened to part of the service from the week before. And there was such a beautiful Word of the Lord about believing for loved ones. I was just really feeling weak about praying for lost loved ones and as soon as I heard the Word Pastor Folu was giving, I couldn’t physically move but I was just weeping and so grateful to God that He spoke that way. Even though it was the week before it just went straight to what was burdening my heart.

You know when you are physically worn down then the Devil just pushes you down emotionally too. I just felt like you know I am just this total prayer failure because look at so and so and so and so… And the Word was just to rest. That’s the main thing I got out of it was that God’s Word is working and we should rest. But once again I realized if I didn’t go to that group, I wouldn’t have had that encouragement from the Holy Spirit.

So, He knows what we need more than we know. So, I was at that one critical point at the sink where I could have gone “Lord, quit talking to me about that!” It’s so important for us to be soft. So, that was my big concern where all this began. I was concerned that I had missed the Holy Ghost’s voice yesterday. But Pastor Ray said “No problem.”

Ms. Darlene shared…

I asked Pastor Ray if I could share something. It goes along with what Annie shared. I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Southwest Believers Convention supernaturally above and beyond I could think of, ask or dare to even imagine. I was believing God for years. I remember growing up little hearing Kenneth Copeland. So for years financially I wasn’t able to do that. This year the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be able to go and I believed until the day it started that I was going. Every day I would thank the Lord for going to the Southwest Believer’s convention. Because I needed to really hear from God and I needed to just get into His presence and be saturated. Before going I would see myself walking down to the floor area and going toward the front and I kept seeing that over and over. I would think “Lord, how many thousands of people are there and why would I be doing that?” Well, I was blessed with the opportunity to go and I get there and I kept seeing myself doing this. And I was like “No I am not going to do that.” It’s kind of weird, you know. So one day I did it. We had a break between services and I just thought “Okay I am going to do it.” I went downstairs because I was sitting up kind of high. I was downstairs just kind of standing there on the floor and I kept inching closer and closer to the front. And it wasn’t that many people there at the time and so I just thought “Okay, why and I doing this? Why am I here?” So, I got kind of close to the front and I stood there. I was standing there in this arena with not that many people. But I saw myself talking to an usher at the time. There was no ushers around like that so I just kept inching closer and closer to the front and stood there. I started to pray. Okay Lord, now what? I am here, now what? So then an usher comes and in my thinking maybe God has a seat down here for me to sit and not be far up. I asked the usher if there was any seats open. He said no that all the seats were reserved. I said “okay” and continued to stand there feeling weird, feeling out of place, still questioning why I am down here. What am I doing this for? Because in my natural mind and my natural thinking it made absolutely no sense. There were no seats available in that area. So, I asked another usher and there were no seats available in that area. And I am still standing there. So, then I just thought okay and I started turning and as I turned to walk away to go back to my seat, the Lord spoke this very clear. It’s in your obedience lies the key.

So, it wasn’t about me going down there and sitting in that area. It was about me hearing the voice of the Lord and going and doing something that was totally out of my comfort zone and being obedient to what He told me to do. So when I turned and He said it is in your obedience that lies the key, it was like weights just instantly fell off. I went back to my seat and it was just being poured into me. I was getting revelation and words from the Lord that I am sure I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t done that thing that in my natural thinking was totally weird and out of character and out of place. But it was in my obedience in doing that, that something that was so simple and I kept seeing myself do but wasn’t understanding why I was doing it. And you know that’s how the Lord leads us a lot of the times. In our natural thinking it doesn’t make sense but when we step out into that, even with me going. I had no idea how I was going but I kept saying I was going. I would look up flights. I would look up hotels. I kept doing it. I kept doing it. And the Lord blessed me above and beyond. Every expense was paid. I had a rental car. I got to stay in a bed and breakfast. My flight was paid for, everything because I stepped out in obedience.

So while I was there in Fort Worth, so many wonderful things happened. I mean from the travel and everything was peaceful, so calm. And I knew every step I was being led of the Lord which was an amazing thing. But while I was there one of the days I had gone into the restroom during one of the breaks. There was a lady in there cleaning and when I walked in I saw her. Instantly I thought I need to say something to this lady but I wasn’t sure what I need to say at the time. So I just did my business and came out and saw her again. I knew I needed to say something so I started washing my hands and I was just in my spirit say “Okay Lord what do I need to say?” I dried my hands and turned around and she was coming out of the stall right behind me. And I just looked at her and said “Can I pray for you?” And she said “Yes.” At the time I was like “I don’t know what I need to pray but I am just stepping out because this what felt like I needed to do.” I turned around and laid my hands on her gently and started praying. I prayed out whatever dropped in my spirit, whatever it was I just prayed it out. And I don’t know how much time went by, but when I opened my eyes this lady was just in tears. But I just kept sensing that she was sad. She was frustrated and angry about something. I don’t know if it was about her job or something else she was going through but I could sense a lot of what she was experiencing and feeling at that time. So, I just stepped out again in that obedience and that prompting and that happened to me twice. Another time I had gone up to get prayer while Jessie Duplantis was praying over people for finances. I ran down there at that time and was at the altar. And again I saw myself and I had this prompting. This husband and wife were walking down the side of me and somehow they got separated and I was trying to maneuver so they could be together. And again the Lord spoke to me and He said to lay hands on this lady that was next to me. I am thinking “What in the world, why would I do that?” We are down here to get prayer. Jessie is praying. And then again I was okay because I kept seeing myself doing that. So I stepped out again and I didn’t want to lay hands on her because I didn’t want to offend her. So I just gently leaned so that my hand was lightly touching her and I just started praying for her not even thinking about what I was dealing with, what I was going through or even the prayer that was being prayed but just focusing in on what the Lord wanted for her. I didn’t even know if she really knew, realized that I had touched her but then after it was all said and done, she turned around and smiled and said thank you. Again in that obedience was the key for what that lady needed or whatever the lady in the restroom needed.

Ms. Annie led us singing “Open Our Eyes Lord, We Want to See Jesus”

Pastor Ray shared…

One time several years ago in the old building Pastor Mac was doing the service. Sandy and I were sitting in the front. I wasn’t a pastor then but I was on staff. He had a Word for several people and he would call each couple up and so he called us up. I still have the Word that he spoke over us. At that time I was doing what really my son is doing right now. I was over all of the visual and church décor things. In the Word he said “you have been faithful to do that and you have served Lynne and I” and all that kind of thing. But he said you know there is more in you. There is ministry in you too. And then, I don’t know if you have ever had a Word like this but sometimes the Holy Spirit… I am just reminded of how Ms. Annie shared. What he said by the Spirit was “A lot of the times you see things but you don’t say them. You sit on it.” Ouch, you know.

The Lord, He will speak to us however He needs to get us to do what He has called us to do. Basically you could say that is sort of negative but that is not negative but that is extremely positive. So, I am talking a lot of years ago, that stuck to do exactly what Ms. Annie was describing this morning at the beginning. When He speaks, He is speaking to us about something to do or something to say or something to pray or where to go or where not to go but He is speaking to us, like you said Annie, all of the time. And so when He said that through Pastor Mac I knew exactly what He was talking about. The Holy Spirit is accurate. And most times we know why He is saying that, why He is telling us to do that, but we don’t always want to do it.

Before I was Spirit filled, Willie George came to Living Word. And he had a call for men that were not Spirit filled and he said there is at least 6 men in this church that need to come up and be Spirit filled. And you know it was a small church then. I knew I was one but I couldn’t go up there. It was like my feet were just stuck in cement and I wanted to go but I just couldn’t. I just could not get up and go up. Later in the evening, I said I want that but can you get that at home. Oh boy! That was a duh. I think the Holy Spirit had that in mind that she would lay hands on me and I would be baptized in the Holy Ghost.

He has a plan. Isn’t that right? And I like this. I like testimonies.

Pastor Folu shared…

I was just thinking about Pastor Ray and testimony. The Lord gave a Word through Him to me at church last year. After he gave that Word and I was on the floor and I came out of it, I said to the Lord “Now what?” He gave me this wonderful Word and now what do I do with it. Because like everybody else I had my hands in a lot of other things, I was very occupied. So I am thinking about this thing the Lord is trusting me. So I went to Pastor Ray and said this is what I am taking away from this Word that you gave and he gave his blessing and we started the group. And I am so thankful that the Lord enabled me to be obedient because the group has been going on for a little bit over a year here now. Just the blessing for me personally and all the people that come on a weekly basis, we are learning what it means operate in the Spirit of Seeing and Knowing. I am very thankful that Pastor Ray stepped out, gave that Word and the Lord enabled me and my wife to say okay we are going to do this. And on a Sunday afternoon to have over 40 people attending all throughout the summer months in Minnesota! I mean that’s a miracle right there. But I am just so grateful that there are so many people in this church that are hungry and desperate for the things of the Spirit. I am so grateful to you Pastor Ray for giving that Word and so thankful to the Lord for enabling my wife and I to step out into this wonderful privilege. We come together and we are learning together. I don’t have the answers. The Holy Ghost has the answers.

I want to share this quick testimony about a gentleman that I read up on. I was reading a book by Brother Copeland last night. This gentleman was barely able to get into the army. This is years and years ago. So he got in. He is from the south and didn’t have much education but was able to get in. His parents didn’t have money to send him to college. So he is in the army and he goes all the way from being a private all the way to a three-star general. He retired about 30 years ago and Brother Copeland was asking him how in the world did you get from being a private to a three-star general? And he said you know it was the Holy Spirit. He said I would get to situations in life and I didn’t know what to do and I would just start praying. The Holy Spirit would quicken me. One example is when he was in Vietnam. He was an artillery commander and he said he got a radio call from a number of Americans that were in this particular area and they were surrounded by the Vietcong. And so he got the radio call and he said that he knew with the fire power that I had that I could go in there and basically take everybody out but if I take everybody out, I would be taking out my fellow Americans. So, what am I going to do? The guys are surrounded. They need help and they need help now. He said “stay on the radio and I will be right back.” He starts praying in the Holy Spirit and right away the Holy Spirit gives him an idea. He gets back on the radio and asked the person on the other end if they knew Jesus. The man said he did. He asked him if he knew where the star of Bethlehem arises in? He said yes. So he told them to start heading that way. He said because if he gives away his position the Vietcongs would come there and just wipe all of them out. So they go in there and provide cover for them without the Vietcongs knowing what was going on. Because of the code, they were able to escape through the eastern way and God provided that.

I am just thinking about the Holy Spirit and this is my final testimony. On Friday we had Pastor Tan here. Please if you did not make that service I would recommend you pull it off the archives. So I am sitting in the service with my wife and around 9 p.m. there is ministry time. Pastor Tan asked people to raise their hands and close their eyes. So, I am sitting in the back somewhere and all of a sudden this thought comes to me. I read this in one of Kenneth Hagin’s books years ago. Kenneth Hagin was a pastor for a season and he said in this particular church he hardly had to council anybody. There was hardly any problem in that church because he would always tell the church members if they had any question or challenges go up to the altar and do business with the Lord. So, I am sitting there and this thought comes to me “Son, do you want to do business with God? Go up to the front.” So I left where I was sitting and came to the front right in the middle and got on my knees and raise up my hands. I am just in the Spirit and the next thing that happened to me and I am sure I am not the only one that felt it. Do you know how the Bible talks about a mighty rushing wind? Saints, I experienced that. I am on my knees with my hands up and I literally think I am going to get blown away. I mean the wind of the Spirit where I was kneeling down, it was swarming all around me for like 40 minutes. I mean Pastor Tan was speaking and I could hardly hear a word he was saying. It was this wind constantly going. I was like wow! Now I understand that passage just a little bit more where it talks about the might rushing wind, the wind of the Spirit. And as you all know we need more and more things of and pertaining to the Spirit, Amen.

Ms. Annie led us singing “Send the Fire send the Oil the Wind and Rain”

Prayed…

Father, we are open to Your wind blowing in Your change
Just a small touch to be open, to be yielded to Him
Thank You for heaven’s change in us, around us, in our nation, in our leaders
Political and spiritual leaders – thank you for change
Blowing across this nation bringing change in every city and in every state
We yield to it and believe for more of it
Just begin to blow through our states and the leaders in our states
The wind the fire and the oil
We pray for that fresh wind of change by Your Spirit
Bringing that change to each one of us
Thank You for that Word, thank You for those testimony this morning
Lifting You up and magnifying what you have done and what You are doing
Thank You that You have never changed
Thank You for that precious blood that was shed
That blood covers our church and our pastors
Greater change and rearranging – some shifts
Wisdom from heaven – thank You for it
You get all the glory, all of the honor
We know it is all You and it is not us or our strength in Jesus name Amen
Thank You for coming

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